Smithers Will Finally Tell Mr Burns He’s Gay In A New Episode Of ‘The Simpsons’

Continuing on with their Please Start Watching Us Again press tour of 2015, The Simpsons showrunners have today revealed another major plot point in an upcoming episode. Speaking to TVLine, one of the show’s producers Al Jean dropped the news that Waylon Smithers will be coming out as gay.

“In Springfield now, most people know he’s gay, but obviously Burns doesn’t,” Jean says, addressing the obvious need for clarification. “We deal with that in two episodes.” Appearing eager to utilise that $14 million the show paid to keep Harry Shearer — the voice of both Smithers and Mr Burns – Jean also notes both characters will be at the forefront of the show’s 27th season.

“We actually do a lot with Smithers this year,” he says. “He gets fed up with Burns not appreciating him and considers his options.”

It’s unclear if the two pieces of news are at all related, but the former is a pretty big deal. Though Smithers’ sexuality is well-known, it’s not something he openly discusses. Over the past 26 years, the references have been deliberately sly with Smithers only spending time with men at faraway vacation spots, speaking covertly about his “lifestyle choice”, and explaining his kiss of Mr Burns as a “mark of respect”.

If Smithers chooses to announce his sexuality publicly this season, he’ll become the third recurring LGBT character behind Patty and Duffman; an undoubtedly big win for diverse representation on TV. In fact, this is something The Simpsons have a bit of a history with. In 2013, a study about homosexuality in the show concluded it has had overall positive effects on gay viewers with its representations of same-sex love and relationships. “Despite the fallback to stereotypes, an intelligent, fair and entertaining handling of homosexuality can be observed in The Simpsons,” it read.

This has also been supported by the show’s producers. As The Huffington Post have noted in the past, Simpsons creator Matt Groening has spoken openly about the issue in a number of LGBT texts over the years. In a 2004 book about the show and oppositional culture, he noted a particular lack of gay representation in mainstream pop culture and expressed a desire to correct it. “Gay men are starved for positive portrayals of lasting love,” he said.

On this theme, Groening illustrated a much-loved comic strip whose only human characters were a gay couple named Akbar and Jeff for more than 30 years. But it’s up for debate if Smithers and Burns’ relationship counts as “positive” in the same way.

That is, unless Burns reciprocates. These two have literally been flirting for decades.

"Smithers! Come up through my rear and grab me!" – Mr. Burns "Yes, sir!" – Smithers #TheSimpsons

— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) September 28, 2015

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Season 27 of The Simpsons has just started in the US.